Evaluation and path-coefficient analysis of some sugarcane clones under Upper Egypt region conditions

Abstract

Evaluation of sugarcane clones is an important step to choose selection criteria for improvement of cane yield. This study was carried at Kom-Ombo Agric. Res., Station, Aswan governorate, ARC, Egypt to study the performance, phenotypic correlation and path-coefficient analysis of some sugarcane clones. Twenty four clones of sugarcane along with their parents and the check variety (G-T-54-9) were investigated in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates for the two years; 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. In each season and over seasons, the differences were highly significant among clones for all the studied traits; stalk length, stalk diameter, cane yield, brix, sucrose, purity, sugar recovery and sugar yield. In addition, mean squares due to years and years × clones interactions were significant (p˂0.01) for all the studied traits, except brix. The combined mean demonstrated that the clone No. 281 produced the highest cane yield and sugar yield compared to the check variety (G-T-54-9). This clone is promising and could be take steps as new sugarcane clone for Upper Egypt based on cane yield and sugar yield. All studied traits were high in broad sense heritability except sucrose percent was moderate. Cane yield recorded positive correlation with stalk length, stalk diameter and sugar yield, and it was negative with the other traits under study. Path analysis exhibited that sugar yield and brix were the two important traits for cane yield improvement.